Christian Warlord??

[sincereheart]

Note the fifth paragraph (in bold)..... Is this a typo? A direct zap against Christianity?   Any thoughts?

Sierra Leone Warlord Dies in Custody of War Crimes Court
Wed Jul 30, 2:55 PM ET
By SOMINI SENGUPTA The New York Times

ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast, July 30 Foday Sankoh, the warlord from Sierra Leone who made mutilations his signature weapon of war and came to symbolize the face of deranged cruelty, died Tuesday night in the custody of a United Nations-backed war crimes tribunal, officials of the court announced today.

Mr. Sankoh, who had been charged with crimes against humanity in connection with the civil war that plunged his country into more than a decade of terror, was 66. The court said he died of natural causes in a hospital in the Sierra Leonean capital, Freetown, where he had been receiving treatment for what the deputy prosecutor called "a variety of complaints."

"He has been granted the peaceful end that he denied to so many others," Desmond de Silva, the deputy prosecutor of the Special Court for Sierra Leone, said in a statement.

Mr. Sankoh, an itinerant photographer and army corporal with a primary school education, rose to become the leader of a guerrilla group called the Revolutionary United Front. In 1991, he started a terrifying civil war.

A born-again Christian with near-messianic power over his rank-and-file, a great many of whom were poor boys from the countryside, Mr. Sankoh spread terror across the small West African nation by chopping off the hands, arms and legs of ordinary civilians.

For the rest: http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=68&ncid=716&e=16&u=/nyt/20030730/ts_nyt/sierraleonewarlorddiesincustodyofwarcrimescourt

[Tibby]

Oh, something anti-Christian in the New York Times? BIG Shocker!  

Hey, that's life. We can't please everybody. SOme people just don't like christians, and it just so happens they tend to drift toward the same media outlets.

[Saved_4ever]

If this story is actually from the NY times then we already know how trustworthy they are now don't we.  

[Whitehorse]

I wouldn't worry too much, because God will set the record straight. He's very jealous of His name. Maybe we should pray for the reporter. Or maybe we should all go out and buy an economy-sized stack of Chic tracts and conspite together to send them to reporters that just don't seem to get it! Wouldn't that be fun? Any takers?

[sincereheart]

It just struck me as odd that the reporter said he was a born-again Christian though I could find nothing to indicate that he even ever said he was. I did find a quote from him where he said he was a 'god'...  

So even considering the source (and a quick check on the reporter made me wonder even more), it still seemed like an attack on Christians!  

LOL @ the tracts idea! I didn't do that, though I did write to request 'proof' if the reporter stands by that statement. Ok, so I doubt I will get a response   but maybe it was just a typo?  

Ah well, thanks for 'listening'...

[Tibby]

If I thought it would make I difference, I'd suggest we write a bunch of letters, and ask our church families to do the same. But, Like I said, what came you do?

[Symphony]

Thank you, sincereheart.  

This is a good wakeup call.  As Christians we will be tempted to do many things in His name.  The medieval Crusaders are a great, looming example in our present situation with Moslems--they DID commit heinous attrocities--with crosses emblazoned on their tunics and shields!

"And he said, 'Take heed that you are not led astray; for many will come in my name, saying, 'I am he!' and 'The time is at hand!'  Do not go after them.'"             Luke 21:8

But at the same time, we must remember that,

"For the time has come for judgement to begin with the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God?  And, 'If the righteous man is scarecely saved, where will the impious and sinner appear?'"   I Peter 4:17

So on the one hand there will be those who will mislead us; we must not fall for that.

 But on the other hand, when others are misled, as this fellow, we will be blamed for it--by association.  Jesus was asscoiated with criminals and crucified therewith.

So while we ourselves must be blameless, we will likely nevertheless find outselves being blamed and any number of associations.

This is why many fall away, and will fall away:

"After this many of his disciples drew back and no longer went about with him."     (John 6:66)

The price of defamation is too high.

But, as Peter says, when this happens, "Therefore let those who suffer according to God's will do right and entrust their souls to a faithful Creator."  I Peter 4:19

We are all under judgement, the African fellow included.  He just apparently lost his first love--as would be easy to do for any of us.

 

[sincereheart]

Symphony,
We are all under judgement, the African fellow included.  He just apparently lost his first love--as would be easy to do for any of us.

My problem with the article is that I can find no proof that the warlord ever even professed to be a Christian.  

In another article by AP writer "CLARENCE ROY MACAULAY"
this quote is found: "I'm a god," the handcuffed ex-warlord, disheveled and in matted white dreadlocks, told the court in June 2002. "I'm the inner god. I'm the leader of Sierra Leone." (Ex-Rebel Head Sankoh Dies in Sierra Leone, Wed Jul 30, 4:06 PM)

Where did the reporter get the idea that the warlord was a 'born again Christian'? And with nothing to back it up, how could she make such an outrageous statement?  

Some background on the reporter:

SOMINI SENGUPTA was born in born in Calcutta, India. She lived in midwestern Canada for three short years, then was raised mostly in Southern California.

She graduated from UC Berkeley in 1988 with B.A. in English and Development Studies.

http://www.saja.org/sengupta.html

 

[Ralph]

  Watch for more of similar despicable lies from the left wing of society. They are for the New World Order under the socialistic rule of the United Nations. They relize that TRUE
Christianity is the REAL force for freedom as a consequence of our believing that all men are personally accountable to God and therefore must not be hindered by earthly authorities
in their service to HIM (Moses message from God to Pharoah:
"Let my people go that they may serve me!"). The liberals know that this is an irrefutable basis for freedom, so they will have to destroy us to have their way. The New York Times, that paper of no journalistic integrity, is just part of their
effort against freedom because, like Pharoah, thay want to rule over men rather than leave them free to serve God above themselves. For an ominous insight, Check Ron Paul's website, Liberty Committe, and read his July
10th Special Orders address entitled "Neo-conned." Read it very carefully. There are Machiavellians in the Bush administration who have coopted the name of conservatism,
and those Machiavellians have a fanatic, religious fervor for
world empire which is equally despotic as the Islamic Jihad. We BETTER wake up, America. Ron Paaul is doing all he can.

[Whitehorse]

Tib, that is a great idea! As Bob Coy says, the same sun that melts wax hardens clay; maybe it wouldn't bring the reporter to the Lord, but at least it would be a lot of fun! Some forum on the internet starts sending out letters...hehe..the entertainment value of that alone would be worth it. Plus no one could ever say we didn't try!